This study develops a multilevel conceptual model of resource transformation in biogas-based industrial symbiosis (IS). It examines how residual flows such as digestate, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and heat become strategic resources through coordinated technological, organisational, and institutional processes. Using bibliometric science mapping of 228 peer-reviewed articles (1990–2024), combined with theory-driven interpretation, the study identifies dominant research patterns and underlying structural relationships in the field. The analysis reveals three cross-cutting mechanisms—resource conversion, coordination, and institutional stabilisation—that structure resource transformation across micro-, meso-, and macro-levels. The findings show a shift in the literature from technology- and efficiency-oriented perspectives toward systemic, multi-actor, and policy- embedded understandings of circular innovation. Building on this, the study develops a mechanism-based conceptual synthesis that explains how value emerges through the alignment of technological processes, inter- organisational networks, and institutional conditions. The study further illustrates how Natural-Resource- Based View (NRBV) concepts can be applied in a multilevel context, showing that VRIN (valuable, rare, imitable, non-substitutable) characteristics are not inherent properties of resources but emerge through coordinated processes across system levels. Finally, it proposes analytically derived propositions and guiding principles for practice that highlight the conditions under which IS systems may develop and scale.

Aim The aim of this study was to explore patients’ experiences of participation in a preoptimisation programme prior to ventral hernia repair, focusing on the programme’s feasibility and patient-perceived potential.

Introduction Preoptimisation of modifiable risk factors has received growing attention, but little is known about ventral hernia patients’ perspectives on such programmes. Understanding patient motivation and perceived barriers is critical for designing effective interventions.

Method Eight ventral hernia patients participated in a home-based preoptimisation programme lasting at least three weeks. Focus group interviews were conducted and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results Participants generally perceived the preoptimisation programme positively. Clear and structured advice was valued, with participants appreciating straightforward instructions on physical activity and lifestyle change. Reported barriers included everyday life circumstances, orthopaedic comorbidities, and in some cases the hernia itself. Patients described perceived positive health effects, including improved fitness, weight loss, and better diabetes control. No adverse effects were raised during the interviews.

Conclusion This is, to our knowledge, the first qualitative study of pre-optimisation programmes in ventral hernia surgery. As an exploratory, hypothesis-generating study, its findings are shaped by sample size and setting but provide novel insights that complement quantitative research by highlighting patient perspectives. Pre-optimisation programmes appear feasible and meaningful to ventral hernia patients, particularly when supported by clear guidance, structured follow-up, and surgeon involvement. The findings are discussed in the light of Self-Determination Theory, which emphasises internalisation of motivation through autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Anal fistula is a complex and often prolonged condition that significantly impacts patients’ daily lives and psychological well-being. This qualitative study explored how individuals living with anal fistula experience stigma, disruption, and identity strain in everyday life. Fifteen participants undergoing active treatment were interviewed at two hospitals. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings show that living with anal fistula was marked by shame, uncertainty, and social withdrawal, often contributing to an altered or fractured sense of self. Participants navigated this experience through three identity-shaping mechanisms: Knowledge Uncertainty, Expectations and Experiences, and Quality-of-Life. These mechanisms influenced how participants made sense of their condition, coped with invisibility, and negotiated bodily control in the context of pain and stigma. While many struggled to maintain a coherent identity in the face of chronic symptoms, interactions with empathetic healthcare providers, particularly those offering consistent information and emotional support played a critical role in helping patients feel seen and supported. The study highlights the need for more holistic, person-centered approaches to care that address not only the physical but also the psychosocial dimensions of life with an anal fistula.

Purpose: This study aims to examine whether corporate sustainability practices act as a shield ensuring financial performance in times of crisis.

Design/methodology/approach: Data from 471 European firms during 2018–23 were categorized into three periods: (1) before the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) during the pandemic and (3) during the Russia–Ukraine War. In this regard, pooled ordinary least squares, two-step generalized method of moments, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney non-parametric tests were performed to examine the impact of crises and whether corporate sustainability practices act as a shield to ensure financial performance.

Findings: The proponents of the resource-based view (RBV) have argued that corporate sustainability practices create additional valuable resources that might work as a shield for ensuring financial performance even in times of crisis. While many studies have examined the impact of the recent pandemic, few compare the impacts of the war’s repercussions on business performance. This study found a distinction between natural (Covid) and human-induced crises (war) on corporate financial performance. The results suggest that sustainability practices might work as a shield during a natural crisis but not during a human-induced one.

Practical implications: The authors observed that throughout the COVID-19 period, policymakers extended assistance to businesses, but during the subsequent European geopolitical crisis, their ability to offer such support has been absent. This absence might have a negative impact on corporate financial performance as government support increases investor confidence which artificially boosts market valuations. In addition, with the experience of COVID-19, investors might consider issues other than corporate sustainability practices when evaluating the market value of a firm. Even though we have seen an increasing trend in sustainability practices since the start of COVID-19 and continuing through the Russia–Ukraine war, these practices are not significantly reflected in or valued by investors.

Originality/value: This study sheds light on the comparative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine War upon business performance and raises the bar on the theoretical understanding through a RBV.

Circular economy has been framed internationally both as an environmental necessity and as a path to foster economic development, and a just transition. Yet, despite growing policy attention, the implications of circular strategies for work and organisation remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how scaling up reuse reshapes workplace practices and industrial ecosystems—dimensions often overlooked in circular economy research. The analysis draws on ten case studies in Sweden’s textile and construction sectors, using semi-structured interviews, site visits, and grey literature. Building on socio-technical system theory, we extend industrial ecosystem theory by foregrounding labour capabilities and organisational transformation as central to circular transitions.Our analysis shows that enabling and disabling conditions for reuse appear across all system levels. At the micro level, high labour intensity, limited training, and emerging OHS risks constrain scaling, while problem-solving skills, continuous learning, and inclusive workplaces improve engagement and job quality. At the meso level, organisational alignment and cross-sector collaboration are critical, with construction supported by platforms, unlike for textiles. At the macro level, supportive policies, economic incentives, digitalisation, and societal acceptance are vital for scaling reuse practices.The study demonstrates that reuse cannot be scaled in isolation: it requires coordinated transformations across technological, organisational, and social domains. Historically rooted in social enterprises and public actors, reuse also remains closely tied to social goals such as inclusion and employment. Supporting these social functions while fostering private-sector innovation is essential for achieving a socially sustainable transition.

This study contributes to the debate on the role of spatial contexts in rural entrepreneurship. Drawing on rural and indigenous entrepreneurship theory, we explore how four Sámi entrepreneurs from Sweden and Norway engage with their spatial contexts. We employ a multiple-case study design, an interpretive philosophy of science, and elements from indigenous research methodologies. Our findings demonstrate that the entrepreneurs engage both within and across their spatial contexts, encompassing environments both nearby and far away. We also identify drivers and practices associated with this entrepreneurial engagement. Based on the findings, we develop The Sámi Entrepreneurial Engagement Framework. The framework serves as an illustration of how a Sámi perspective adds new insight into the field of rural entrepreneurship and offers a comprehensive lens for understanding entrepreneurial engagement with spatial contexts in culturally rich and environmentally sensitive settings.

The implementation of water-related environmental measures (WREMs) in agricultural businesses presents an opportunity to align food production with sustainable value creation through ecosystem services. However, the complexity of adopting these measures, and making them a part of business models, necessitates the involvement of intermediaries to facilitate business opportunities that align with governmental sustainability goals. This study investigates the role of government-affiliated intermediaries in facilitating agricultural business plans, motives, and support needs for implementing WREMs. Using baseline and follow-up questionnaire data from 255 agricultural business managers, the study finds that intermediaries play a crucial role in fostering long-term sustainability commitments. Their facilitation, through expert advice, knowledge transfer, and resource mobilization, significantly increased the likelihood of businesses planning semi-long-term WREMs. However, the correlation between WREMs and market-driven value creation remained weak, highlighting the need for enhanced support in developing financially viable sustainability solutions. These findings underscore the importance of aligning intermediation strategies with business managers’ financial incentives to drive broader adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) of chronic diseases represents a care modality with great potential to substantially improve outcomes and reduce hospital admission and costs to society. Empirical research has examined the processes of RPM adoption and implementation; however, implementation of RPM – a complex technological and health service innovation – remains challenging. Various analytical frameworks have tried to understand the conditions for successful adoption and implementation of RPM and other complex healthcare innovations. This conceptual study argues that incorporation of lessons from literature on institutional logics could enrich these frameworks. Healthcare is a domain influenced by multiple competing, collaborating or co-existing institutional logics such as professional, state, market, corporate and increasingly a community logic, expressed in patient-centred care principles. We outline the concept of patient-centred care as an emerging institutional logic and explore how to incorporate it into two widely used analytical frameworks, NASSS (‘non-adoption, abandonment, scale-up, spread, and sustainability’) and normalisation process theory (NPT). The main benefit of adding an institutional logics approach to the NPT framework is primarily to increase awareness of how institutional logics at meso-and macro-levels may affect the scope of implementation at a micro-level. In the case of the NASSS framework institutional logics provides a rationale for achieving cross-level alignment between domains.

This research projects study an ecosystem comprising public and private actors, along with supporting and regulating organization offering nature-based services to overcome health related issues such as mental illness, burnout and stress. These offerings are studied in a so-called quasi-market, where quality is not established by a public system but through a complex procurement process. The research project follows Eisenhardt (1989) theory development, model focusing on three dimensions: context (where), project governance processes (how), and the nature of project goals (what). The aim is to explore inter-organizational collaborative efforts to understand how goals and governance for procurement in quasi-markets could be specified. Our model verifies the movement of goals and governance processes within this ecosystem. Our paper offer evidence to distinguish between certainty and uncertainty, thereby contributing to development of more reliable estimates for future standards that can be used for estimating price and value of such services. Furthermore, we contribute with insights of health-based projects. The research question is: how inter-organizational collaborative efforts are fundamentally designed to handle dynamic (moving) goals and governance in the context of procurement within quasi-markets.

Despite overall improvements in general health, the prevalence of mental illness continues to rise, underscoring the need for innovative approaches to health promotion. This study examines how purpose-driven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) design and develop nature-based interventions (NBIs) as social innovations to promote mental health. Using a case study approach, the research draws on data from workshops, semi-structured interviews, and expert stakeholder discussions involving 28 SME practitioners, eight public actors from social and healthcare sectors, nine entrepreneurs, and four experienced stakeholders. The analysis reveals that the successful development of NBIs depends on five core dimensions: accessibility, acceptance, affordability, meaningfulness, and knowledge. In addition, the study identifies a range of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that SMEs encounter when navigating the complex landscape of NBI implementation. The findings highlight the potential of NBIs to complement traditional healthcare by fostering empowerment and supporting tailored recovery, while also offering strategic insights into the collaboration required for sustainable social innovation.